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Auction: 22003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 287

An interesting campaign group of eight awarded to Commander E. S. Felton, Royal Navy

A veteran of the Battle of Jutland, Felton became an Officer in the 'Silent Service' when passing the Perisher Course in 1928 and began the Second World War as the CO of Dwarf - a Submarine tender - and also gave his own valuable contributions to the Folbots used by the 'Cockleshell Raid' Operation Frankton, besides further work with X-Craft and also ending the War as CO of the Submarine tender Alecto

1914-15 Star (Mid. E. S. Felton. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (S. Lt. E. S. Felton. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, mounted as worn, very fine (8)

Evelyn Seccombe Felton - known as 'Growler' to his friends and comrades - was born at Hong Kong on 28 July 1899 and listed Commander Robert Neale Lawson as his guardian upon joining the Royal Navy as a Cadet in May 1912. Made Midshipman in August 1914, he joined the battleship Albion and was soon thrown into her action-packed tour of the Dardanelles.

Gallipoli

Albion shared in the first actions in that theatre on 19 February 1915 and was also engaged on 3 March; she, Triumph and Prince George covered a landing force that was to raid Sedd el Bahr. Heavy weather delayed the start of the attack, but the landing took place without incident. Albion shelled Erenköy, which did not return fire, and the landing party discovered a battery of six 15-pounder field guns that they destroyed.

She was later present to support the landings on V Beach at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915. She bombarded the high ground overlooking the beach from 0430hrs, but after an hour heavy smoke and mist prevented her gunners from observing targets and fire was halted. After the Allied forces began to go ashore, Albion supported their advance on the village of Sedd el Bahr. She shifted fire to support the men going ashore at W Beach, but heavy Ottoman fire repulsed the landing and the Allied soldiers were forced to withdraw. As it turned out, the report of Allied troops in Sedd el Bahr proved to be erroneous, and further attacks were launched against the Ottoman defenders the following day, which Albion supported. After Albion knocked out a machine gun position on the south-west corner of the village, the troops were able to advance into the town and force the Ottomans to retreat.

On 28 April 1915 she took part in an attack on Krithia, led by five French battleships and supported by four other British battleships. Albion suffered significant damage from Ottoman shore batteries, forcing her to retire to Mudros for repairs, leaking badly. The repair work took three days to complete. Back in action on 2 May 1915, she again was hit by shells from Ottoman batteries on the Asian side of the straits, necessitating further repairs at Mudros. On the night of 22–23 May 1915, Albion beached on a sandbank off Gaba Tepe and came under heavy fire from Ottoman shore batteries. About 200 fragmentation shells hit her, but they could not penetrate her armour, the result being fewer than a dozen casualties amongst her crew. Felton left her in September 1915 as a result of enteric fever.

Orion - Jutland

Recovered from his fever at home, Felton joined Orion on 29 March 1916 and was present with her at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916. She saw action during as the lead ship of the 2nd Division and was the fifth ship from the head of the battle. In the early stages of the engagement she fired four salvos of armour-piercing capped shells from her main guns at the Markgraf at 1832hrs, scoring one hit that knocked out a 5.9" gun and killed or disabled its crew. About 1915hrs, she engaged Lützow at about 19,000yds with six salvos of APC shells and claimed to straddle her with the last two salvos. These last salvos were actually fired at the destroyer G38 which was screening the battlecruiser and laying a smoke screen. Lützow was also fired at by Monarch during this time and was hit five times between the sisters. They knocked out two of her main guns, temporarily knocked out the power to the sternmost turret as well as causing a fair amount of flooding. This was the last time that Orion fired her guns during the battle, having expended a total of 51 13.5" APC shells.

Felton was removed to the sloop Delphinium on 6 September 1917 and served aboard her until 22 July 1918, going on for further training with Coastal Motor Boats. Promoted Lieutenant on 15 March 1920, he passed the infamous Perisher Course in 1928 and was promoted Lieutenant-Commander on 15 March 1928. Felton took command of submarine L47 from 10 April 1928-29 April 1929 and was lucky to have changed his charge for she was accidentally rammed off Pembrokeshire by L12 on 9 July 1929, with the loss of all but three of the crew. Felton would also command H44, 2 June 1931-16 April 1932, Otway, 1 May 1933-22 July 1935, H31, 31 October-26 November 1935, L54, 6-9 January 1936 and Rainbow, 10 August-21 September 1937. He thence moved between command of "D" Group of Submarines from Dwarf and being Spare Officer in Command of Dolphin.

Second World War

In July 1940 he was made CO of Dwarf and was thence with Dolphin from May 1941-June 1943, working at the Fort Blockhouse and on duty with submarines.

In this period he also played a role in the development of the famous Folbot, designed by Fred Goatley. Goatley sent in his latest designs to Felton on 10 March 1942, who then gave his own views and passed this through the Admiralty. The end result was their use on Operation Frankton, by the 'Cockleshell Heroes' of the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment in December 1942 (Cockleshell Raid, Paul Oldfield refers).

Felton appears to have gone out to be Senior Officer Submarines, Haifa from December 1942-February 1943 and was a key player in the handling of a number of U-class submarines, namely Ursula, Unison and Unbroken besdies Sunfish and eight former US Navy Destroyers.

Having been made Acting Commander in May 1944 and confirmed in the rank in July 1944, he took command of Alecto on 24 August 1944. She was a Submarine and made numerous trips around home waters escorting a Submarine with a midget X-Craft in tow.

Having retired, he took a posting at the Boys Training Ship Arethusa in late 1945 and is affectionately recalled in One of a Baker's Dozen by Reg Trew, who was under his charge. The Commander died at Bournemouth on 15 August 1964.

His record book covering the Second World War, known as 'Growler's Book', is held by the Submarine Museum and is quoted regularly in David Parry's 2022 Thesis Perisher - its evolution 1917-2017 and the Submarine Commanding Officer (https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/170759286/2022_Parry_David_1779847_ethesis.pdf).

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Sold for
£450

Starting price
£220